A Bit of Earth

Malaya. A land of unparalleled richness. For centuries, the peninsula has attracted fortune hunters, money-grabbing pirates and migrants seeking a better life. Among those whose lives are rooted in the Malayan soil are three families: the Wongs, sons of the Chinese earth; the Wees, subjects of the English gods; and the Mahmuds, scions of the Malayan soil. Each have different dreams for the bit of earth they live on. Their destinies meet and this clash of hopes inevitably leads to tragedy.
Suchen Christine Lim is the inaugural recipient of the Singapore Literature Prize for her novel, Fistful of Colours. Her fourth novel, A Bit of Earth, and a collection of short stories, The Lies That Build A Marriage, were short listed for the same prize. A co-authored play and a children’s book had also received prizes.
 
A Fulbright Fellow in the University of Iowa’s International Writers’ Program, she has held several writing residencies overseas, including International Writer-in-Residence, University of Iowa, University of Western Australia, Moniack Mhor Writer’s Centre, Scotland, and Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines.
 
Born in Malaysia, she currently resides in Singapore.